Cycling Blood Doping: An Evolution

Blood doping in cycling evolved from blood-boosting to recombinant EPO then back to blood-boosting again.  There were known benefits of blood-boosting known in cycling in the eighties, the 1984 USA Olympic cycling team, in order to put on a good show after the Russian boycott, decided to use blood transfusions from compatible family member donors to increase the medal count, a method that was neither encouraged or forbidden by Olympic rules.  The thought of a mother giving her child a blood transfusion shortly before a race seems to be the apex of morbidity, ghoulishness, and sickness*: but America had to put on a good show of dominance to demonstrate the superiority of the capitalistic Western system over the heathen inferiority of the Communists.  Not surprising, as cheating to achieve success in competitive systems is an accepted practice, especially in America.  One fine day a visiting East German cycling coach was amazed that the Americans' were training at altitude; "We can achieve the same results in fifteen minutes" blood boosting, so there was no need to waste time raising hematocrit levels from "train high, live low" methods, or from sleeping or training in altitude tents.  Nope. A simple blood transfusion would achieve the same results in fifteen minutes with no effort at all.  Amazing, the 1984 USA Olympic cycling team knew of the benefits of blood-boosting on performance, the East Germans used the practice and had phenomenal Olympic success: and produced Jan Ullrich,** the legendary diesel; a man who could power up twenty percent grades at six watts per kilo gram, never leaving the saddle, breaking a sweat, or breathing hard.  But according to Greg LeMond, the professional peloton never heard of blood-boosting, the riders never cheated, he, along with Bernard Hinault, and Laurent Fignon, were the only three winners of any grand tour who rode clean and other fairy tales.

These assertions by Greg LeMond are hilarious and make you laugh; but I swear there are still fools around who believe Greg LeMond: and who comment that his stellar performances such as his monumental climb up L'Alpe d'Huez in the 1986 Tour de France; where Bernard Hinault looks ready to drop dead from exhaustion, while Greg LeMond is dancing out of the saddle with an inexhaustible supply of energy; laughing at, smiling at, and hugging the fallen badger was all done dope free! Bernard Hinault, whom earlier in the race, in a fit of madness, launched a suicide attack with an insurmountable lead until he bonked! throwing away his certain Tour de France win.  Bernard Hinault never physically recovered from this disastrous folly.  Bernard Hinault looked cooked on L'Alpe d'Huez.  An impartial observer watching Greg LeMond's body language and his personal deportment during the climb could come up with the conclusion: "it's juice." ***

There were no vampires stalking around the riders waiting to extract blood in 1984 and Greg LeMond did not win his first tour until 1986, which suggests foul play, certainly.  Indeed, in 1990 a newer form of blood doping was available: rEPO: a synthetic form of erythropoietin, a much more efficient method of raising hematocrit levels without the infectious complications of heterologous blood transfusions, or the necessity of finding an acceptable blood donor.  It is a certainty that rEPO was being used to some extent along with heterologous blood transfusions during this period, on an experimental basis, in order to lower lactic acid levels in the muscles: as was done by Francesco Conconi and Michele Ferrari to prepare Francesco Moser for his world one hour record ride attempt in 1984.***** rEPO use could not be detected until 2000 and until then the use of this performance-enhancing substance was rampant.  After the IOC hired Francesco Conconi to develop a prototype test to distinguish the difference between endogenous and synthetic EPO;**** then and only then did the peloton switch to homologous blood transfusions.  Blood was taken out of riders in small increments, refrigerated, then reintroduced into the riders shortly before and during races.  The increase in hematocrit levels could be diluted with simple methods such as injections with saline solutions when the vampires were scheduled to arrive; a fact that was known among riders through various tips from persons associated with the various regulatory agencies.  There were many occasions, in the lax days, where the riders would run out the back door as the vampire was knocking on the front door: but there was no penalty unless three anti-doping out-of-competition tests were missed.  There were other devious methods employed to defeat anti-doping urine tests, such as using a "whizzinator" or a reservoir filled with substitute urine attached to a rubber penis.  After numerous athletes were caught using this method, the chaperons used more stringent methods when obtaining urine samples.  Other methods of defeating the tests included soaking the hands with soap.  Once this malady was discovered the vampires took more stringent measures to defeat this chicanery too.

The dimwits who were in charge of the sample collections grew wiser, and the tests got wiser, so the riders got wiser and switched from rEPO back to blood infusions.  Lance Armstrong got away with taking rEPO in 1999 because there were no tests, and for the same reason, Greg LeMond and his La Vie Claire team probably used advanced blood-boosting techniques until the peloton switched to the more efficient rEPO. Then Greg LeMond faded and only then accused others of using performance-enhancing drugs.  Greg LeMond had a incredibly high volume oxygen+oxygen (VO2 max) ratio of 95, or the efficiency of oxygen converted to energy and performance within the muscles during athletic work; (compare to Lance Armstrong who had a VO2 max ratio of 83; most common males have a VO2 max of about 30), which could be enhanced with an increase in hematocrit, due to increased oxygen carrying capacity, the lowering of lactic acid, and by the ability of the mitochondria to more efficiently produce power aerobically.  So, obviously, a rider like Lance Armstrong had more to gain from an increase in red blood cell production than a person like Greg LeMond; who had a superior baseline score. Greg LeMond had a natural advantage, which might explain why he accumulated three Tour de France titles, embarrassing Bernard Hinault and Laurent Fignon, riders who had probably more tactical talent than Greg LeMond: even though Hinault and Fignon were inferior to LeMond in practical talent.  Miguel Indurain and the boys had incredible VO2 max scores too; most of the increase in these scores may have been assisted by questionable blood work; although there is very little, if any, interest in discovering the truth of this assertion, at least among the worthies at the UCI or WADA.  I might point out that Greg LeMond beat Miguel Indurain in the 1990 Tour de France.  How did this happen if Miguel Indurain was using synthetic EPO as Greg LeMond alleges?

Why not invest time and money to chase phantoms.  Old events will do nothing to stop doping today, a concept that Travis T. Tygart will never understand.  Events that happened fourteen years ago with riders who are either retired from the sport or dead mean nothing to anyone except nostalgic people who spend their retirement years watching Tour de France films of the good old days.  Most millennial kids have never heard of Tyler Hamilton and could care less.  Lance Armstrong's name will soon disappear from memory, the old techniques of doping have all been detected, they are worn out like an old shoe, people need to be forward-looking and innovative, not retrospectively focused on obsolescence.

So there we have it, first, it was donor blood, then rEPO, then autologous blood transfusions. The dopers were always one step ahead of the regulatory agencies when the tests improved, the cheating techniques were modified.  What WADA and the UCI need to do is to employ someone like Michele Ferrari on a contractual basis to catch the cheaters.  The International Olympic Committee (IOC) hired Francesco Conconi to develop a test to detect synthetic EPO, and Francesco Conconi may have developed a prototype test.  But Francesco Conconi also exploited his position as a researcher to help riders dope.  Michele Ferrari might be invited to help the geniuses at WADA, but after thirty-four years of thumbing the "gold standard" of testing in the eye, this might be perceived as an unacceptable outrage.  Of course, to prevent another Francesco Conconi disaster, Mr. Ferrari would have to be closely supervised.  But instead of new novel approaches to combat doping, anticipate another thirty-four years of moping around in the dark wondering why riders are generating "superhuman" power up the climbs, or seventy-kilometer per hour sprints.  Complain and see what happens!  The blinders will be fully attached.  First, there will be denials, then proclamations, "we are doing our best under the circumstances," then will come more denials, then mea culpa.  But to anticipate anything sensible; forget about it!

UPDATE:  I forgot to mention that autologous blood transfusions can be combined with micro-dosing EPO with intravenous injections, a fact that Michael Ashenden, "never considered."

References:

* Source/Quote: Wheelmen, Reed Albergotti and Vanessa O' Connell, Gotham Books, 2013

"The U.S. [Olympic] team, however, went ahead with the blood-boosting effort.  Participation in the program was voluntary.  If they were interested, they were to arrange for family members with compatible blood types to provide blood donations.  A few days before the Olympic track cycling events, the cyclists and their blood donors lined up in a room at the Ramada hotel in Carson City, and a doctor connected tubes between them, allowing the blood to flow directly from the one to the other.  There was no screening of the blood for hepatitis or other diseases.  Brent Emery opted to participate, and his mother showed up at the hotel to provide the transfusion.  Having her blood flow into his body through a plastic tube was a weird experience." PP.30-31; italics added.

Yes. Eddie Borysewicz was the 1984 USA Olympic Team cycling coach: and from this account, he knew of and encouraged blood doping among the team to enhance performance.  The blood transfusions were not autologous they were heterologous, at least for the men.  What is misleading in that?

** A person sent me an e-mail stating that Jan Ullrich was not a product of East German athletics.  However, John Wilcockson summarizes the evolution of Jan Ullrich and explains the upward mobility of young promising athletes within the German Democratic Republic:

Source/Quote: 23 Days in July, John Wilcockson, Da Capo Press, 2004.

"Becoming an athlete was the best passport to prosperity for a child in the German Democratic Republic, so Jan Ullrich became part of the country's elite sports program.  Jan Ullrich won his first bike race at age 11, and two years later he became the East German national scholastic cycling champion in track racing.  That breakthrough win earned the 13-year-old Jan Ullrich a place at SC Dynamo, a sports school in East Berlin.  There, he met coach Peter Becker, a strict disciplinarian, and made friends with a skinny youth called Andreas Kloden, who was eighteen months younger than Jan Ullrich and came from Mittweida, a city in southeast Germany.  Under Peter Becker's influence, both cyclists thrived, with Jan Ullrich winning the national youth and junior championships in both road and track." P.59-60.

"Wolfgang Strohband, Jan Ullrich's manager, dipped into his own pockets to set up Jan Ullrich and nine other East German cyclists in Hamburg.  Wolfgang Strohband was hoping that his riders would be good enough to compete at the 1996 Olympics." P.60.

Jan Ullrich moves to the west in 1989, two years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.  Peter Becker remains his coach.

Now, this clearly establishes that Jan Ullrich was a product of the East German sports system that had an emphasis on Olympic competition.  Jan Ullrich turned professional and rode for Team Telekom placing second in the 1996 Tour de France General Classification behind teammate Bjarne Riis, @1 minute 41 seconds.  Jan Ullrich won the Tour de France in 1997.  Team Telekom was run by Walter Godefroot and Jan Ullrich's personal trainer and the coach was Rudy Pevenage.  After Jan Ullrich tested positive for Ecstasy, a popular rave drug in an out of competition test, he was sacked by Team Telekom and served a one-year suspension.  When Jan Ullrich returned to cycling in the 2003 season, he refused to accept a diminished contract from Team Telekom, and he signed a contract with Team Coast.  Team Coast went bankrupt, so Jan Ullrich negotiated a deal with Bianchi Bicycles for a one-year sponsorship, taking Rudy Pevenage from Team Telekom.  Jan Ullrich raced with Bianchi Bicycles in the 2003 Tour de France, finishing second in the general classification, and he might have won the race had he not fallen in a roundabout during the rain and oil soaked final time trial.  When Jan Ullrich returned to Team Telekom in 2004, as punishment for what Walter Godefroot considered treason, Rudy Pevenage was banished from Team Telekom: although Jan Ullrich continued to employ Rudy Pevenage as personal coach and trainer.  During the 2004 Tour de France, in the early stages, Jan Ullrich suffered a mysterious illness and high fever that most attribute to a bad blood transfusion supplied by Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes of Operation Puerto fame.  In 2006, Jan Ullrich was denied entry into the Tour de France because Spanish drug police raided the offices of Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes and found records and blood samples labeled "son of Rudy."  Jan Ullrich was subsequently banned by the Switzerland Cycling Federation for two years after the Spanish investigation confirmed the DNA of the "son of Rudy" blood samples matched Jan Ullrich.  Jan Ullrich retired from cycling shortly afterward.  Thus ended the career of one of the greatest cyclists of all time.  It seems amazing that Jan Ullrich who tested positive for Ecstasy in an out of competition test and served a suspension, a man who was uncertain about continuing his career in cycling from injury, a man who backed his automobile over a bicycle rack in frustration, a man whose relationship with his longtime girlfriend Gabby was on the rocks and uncertain of continuing, could, after recovering from all of these misfortunes, risk all by paying Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes money to supply him with doped blood.

*** A critic wrote me an e-mail complaining Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond rode at a snail's pace compared to the Marco Pantani record ride up L'Alpe d'Huez.  Before the 1986 L'Alpe d'Huez stage Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond made a deal: Bernard Hinault would set the tempo up the climb and win the stage.  In return for the stage win, Bernard Hinault agreed not to attack Greg LeMond in any of the future stages, including the final time trial, thus ensuring Greg LeMond a Tour de France victory.  Greg LeMond did not set the tempo up L'Alpe d'Huez even though he boasted after the stage he could have put five minutes on the badger!  Thus, we will never know how fast Greg LeMond might have climbed L'Alpe d'Huez in 1986.  But a quick examination of the stage results is suggestive.  Bernard Hinault, 5:03:02, (2) Greg LeMond, same time, (3) Urs Zimmermann, +5.15, (4) Jose Reyes Montoya, +6.06.  If Greg LeMond boasts he could have distanced Bernard Hinault by five minutes, then he could have beaten Urs Zimmermann by ten minutes, fifteen seconds!  Immediate red flags are detected here.  Therefore, the Marco Pantani record ride can be compared to an exhausted Bernard Hinault, but not to a invigorated Greg LeMond.  However, I am convinced Marco Pantani was using rEPO, or blood transfusions, or a combination of the two.  This may have helped Marco Pantani set the record up L'Alpe d'Huez.  After all, Marco Pantani was booted from the 1999 Giro d' Italia for hematocrit over 50%.  Let us just say the 1986 ride up L'Alpe d'Huez, even at a Bernard Hinault snail pace, Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond dropped the entire peloton by over five minutes, and the badger passed Urs Zimmermann for second place in the general classification.  What is misleading in that?

**** Did the International Olympic Committee employ Francesco Conconi to develop a test to detect synthetic EPO?

Source/Quote: Wheelmen, Reed Albergotti and Vanessa O' Connell, Gotham Books, 2013

"Before the 2000 Tour de France began, there were rumors in the peloton that a new prototype test for EPO had been discovered and would be used during the race.  This was the test that the International Olympic Committee had commissioned Francesco Conconi, the so-called fox in the hen house to develop." PP.135-136; italics added.

Here is some additional evidence concerning Francesco Conconi and his supposed development of a test to detect synthetic EPO.

Source/Quote: Seven Deadly Sins, David Walsh, Atria Books, 2012.

"So in the surreal world of Italian sports politics, it came about that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) itself asked a German pharmaceutical company to supply [Francesco] Conconi with EPO so that he could carry out the research which might lead to an EPO test.  This generosity would see the creation of [Francesco] Conconi's infamous 'EPO file,' his 'study group of 23 amateurs' who were in fact 22 professional athletes and himself, that EPO, courtesy of the IOC was used to cheat.  Welcome to the brave new world and its Orwellian dialect of doublespeak." P. 121.

Then there is the great Irish champion Stephen Roche.

"Stephen Roche's career had been highly successful and in 1987 he won the Giro d' Italia, Tour de France, and World Championships, a treble previously achieved only by the legendary Eddy Merckx." P.95.

But unfortunately Stephen Roche was linked to Francesco Conconi:

"In an inquiry into the Ferrara based doctor, Professor Francesco Conconi, Ireland's Tour de France winner Stephen Roche was listed among twenty-three riders in what would be called the EPO file.  Stephen Roche was in the EPO file under his own name but also under aliases, two of which were Ronchi and Roncati." P.95.

Source: 50 Years of Hematology: Research That Revolutionized Patient Care, American Society of Hematology, 2008.

As David Walsh states in his book the Francesco Conconi notations concerning Stephen Roche probably occurred in 1993 and 1994.  This fact does not prove Stephen Roche had any contact with Francesco Conconi prior to 1991, or that Stephen Roche blood doped to win the Tour de France!  But if Stephen Roche chose to blood dope in 1987, blood transfusions would be the method of choice, not synthetic EPO.  A method was found to mass produce recombinant EPO in 1983, but EPO was not approved for use in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration until June 14, 1989.  Even if Stephen Roche and Francesco Conconi had a association prior to 1989, unless Francesco Conconi obtained medical research synthetic EPO by illegal means; or in a European country where EPO had been approved for medical use; or on the black market, there is zero chance synthetic EPO was used by Stephen Roche to dope in 1987.

Source: Stephen Roche and David Walsh, Late Late Show, 2002.

Source: Poison in the heart of sport, David Walsh and John Follain, 2002.

On the Late Late Show, David Walsh accuses Stephen Roche of using synthetic EPO based on Francesco Conconi's 'EPO file'.  Stephen Roche presents his random UCI synthetic EPO test results.  The old EPO tests developed by professor Francesco Conconi measured "transferrin receptor concentration.". Transferrin receptors regulate re-uptake of iron in the cell.  "Transferrin receptor concentration, according to the Conconi study, an untreated athlete (one without EPO) could not have a transferrin receptor concentration higher than 3.1.  The report concludes that 'the increased concentration of the transferrin receptor could be employed as an indirect indicator of EPO misuse in Sports.'"  David Walsh claims that the Francesco Conconi study records include measurements from Stephen Roche under an assumed name that were above the 3.1 transferrin receptor threshold.  Thus indicating Stephen Roche used EPO.

"EPO is the perfect drug.  EPO has a half-life of four hours."   Lance Armstrong.

Obviously, this statement has profound implications for testing.  Theoretically, a rider could take a shot of EPO and ride the entire stage and test clean.  This statement also has implications for Stephen Roche. 

Stephen Roche wanted to prove he rode clean.  A quick glance at Stephen Roche's test results shows a decrease in EPO values between tests taken early (above threshold) in the day as opposed to later the same day (below threshold). This change could be accounted for by EPO four hour half-life decay rates, or basic metabolism, or by introduction of masking agents, saline solutions, or any number of other unknown variables. The variations in values do not necessarily indicate problems with the testing methodology: primitive as the tests were at the time.  Stephen Roche presents a unconvincing case.  The test results indicate that Stephen Roche may have used synthetic EPO on the days indicated on the tests.  David Walsh has a valid case to suspect Stephen Roche of doping.

However, even if the unproven assumption that Stephen Roche was working with Professor Conconi in 1987 is true, EPO doping was not available in 1987.  However, other methods of doping were available, some of these doping methods were undetectable to the testing methodology of the day.

By the way, if you want to know how much Francesco Conconi contributed to the synthetic EPO test solution, contact the IOC.

Source: 50 Years of Hematology: Research That Revolutionized Patient Care, American Society of Hematology, 2008.

However, it is important to note that synthetic EPO was commercially available in the United States just prior to the depart of the 1989 Tour de France and was readily available world wide prior to the depart of the 1990 Tour de France.  Greg LeMond won both Tours.  Greg LeMond beat Miguel Indurain in the 1990 Tour de France.  Greg LeMond has accused Miguel Indurain and the peloton of doping with synthetic EPO during the 1991 Tour de France because Greg LeMond struggled to keep pace with Miguel Indurain and the lead group.  But proof exists that synthetic EPO may have been available to professional cycling during the 1989 Tour de France.

***** Francesco Moser was an Italian time trialist.  Eddy Merckx complained his 1972 one hour world record ride was beaten due to a combination of factors.  Medical treatments from Francesco Conconi.  The medical supervision of Professor Antonio Dal Monte; official doctor of the Italian Cycling Federation.  Medical assistance from star student Michele Ferrari.  Add the aerodynamic design of Francesco Moser's bicycle, moon disc wheels, plus the fact a concrete Mexico City velodrome floor was resurfaced with a special preparation which would reduce friction, as the deciding factors for Francesco Moser setting a new world record one hour ride in Mexico City in 1984.  Eddy Merckx stated he trained with oxygen tanks to mimic the atmosphere of Mexico City; the old "live low, train high" method.  Eddy Merckx also stated after the ride he could not walk for eight days, while Francesco Moser was back on the bike four days later.  Francesco Moser admitted he used blood transfusions to break the hour record.  Ah!  The miracles of modernization.

The reaction to a thirty-one-year-old man, Francesco Moser, smashing the world one hour record of legendary Eddy Merckx, stunned the cycling world!

Source/Quote: The Fabulous World of Cycling: season 1984, Eddy Merckx and Leon Michaux, Winning Production, 1984. PP. 4-13.

"It was a triumph:  In the world of cycling, where nobody believed [Francesco] Moser had a chance, the news had the effect of a bomb.  When Moser went back to the track four days later, astonishment changed to stupefaction, and people started wondering about the technical and medical breakthroughs of the record, which was extended to fifty-one kilometers, one hundred and fifty-one meters." P.12

The UCI allowed all of this nonsense, even though the radical design of Francesco Moser's bicycle and the use of moon disc wheels were a direct violation of UCI Article 49, which states, "anything that might improve penetration through the air is forbidden."

Indeed, there is a disparity between the modern accepted notion crafted primarily by Greg LeMond that the 1980s was the era of cycling drug abstinence and the consensus of cycling enthusiasts in 1984 who recognized that this incredible increase in performance by Francesco Moser was explosive.  People were stupefied with astonishment.  It was not just the radical design of Francesco Moser's bicycle that accounted for this stupefaction, or the moon disc wheels, or the coefficient of drag, or the special preparation applied to the track, or the aerodynamic suit and helmet.  No indeed!  People were questioning the medical preparation of Professor Francesco Conconi, and the medical supervision of Professor Antonio Dal Monte; official doctor of the Italian Cycling Federation; with increasing alarm!  Eddy Merckx was not fooled: he complained if he was provided with an equal medical and technological playing field his one-hour world record would have lasted for a thousand years!  Here is another example of how doping can trump athletic ability, a lesson the 1984 USA Olympic Cycling Team was fully aware of.  Absurd to suggest the professional peloton was ignorant of the fact blood transfusions increased performance in 1984; when it has been officially documented by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA); blood transfusions had been in use since the late nineteen-seventies!  Equally absurd would be the notion once the performance-enhancing qualities of blood doping were known, the temptation of using blood transfusions in the nineteen eighties was considered taboo by the professional peloton!  Only a simpleton would accept the Greg LeMond premise the nineteen-eighties were cleaner than any other decade in cycling or the fact that Greg LeMond was the only clean Tour de France champion, simply because he rode during the nineteen-eighties!

It helps to read the books before you make unsupported statements and send out unsolicited e-mails!

Cycling Ain't Baseball

Wow!  Baseball is certainly tolerant of their cheaters; the Alex Rodriguez arbitration decision is final: a 161 game suspension, or one season, for the second known doping offense.  Of course, Alex Rodriguez will lose twenty-one million dollars in salary for one year; but unlike cycling, the Yankees still have three years left on his contract to pay, even if Alex Rodriguez never appears again at-bat.

Yes, if it were only so simple.  The Yankees hate "A-Roid".  The Yankees wish "A-Roid" would vanish from baseball forever.  But "A-Roid", like all good cheaters feels that he has been a victim of a vendetta; after all he uses the same logic as any other doper; there were no positive tests and Bud Selig wants to make him a scapegoat.  Of course Alex Rodriguez is innocent, the cash payments that were recorded at Biogenesis of America were incorrectly attributed to the wrong Alex Rodriguez, and the human growth hormone and other prohibited performance-enhancing substances Anthony Bosch injected into Alex Rodriguez were nothing more than inert saline solution.

There is also a further complication: Alex Rodriguez wants to contest the arbitration award in Federal Court as an unfair process that denies due process and other legal protections to the defendant.  Ice will freeze in hell before any Federal Court will side with Mr. Rodriguez.  The only winners will be the shyster lawyers who will reap incredible fees for service.  Listen, Mr. Rodriguez, these cases are always dismissed.

If Alex Rodriguez was a cyclist his career would be over for eight years for a second doping offense.  Under the archaic rules of cycling, the Yankees could fire Alex Rodriguez even if he had a multi-year contract.  His case would be considered a "personal affair" between himself and the anti-doping agency that was responsible for prosecuting him, even if the team ran an organized doping program.

For example, Floyd Landis, supposedly asked Andy Rihs, owner of BMC bicycles to run an organized doping program similar in scope to the organized doping program Lance Armstrong used with the United States Postal Service Professional Cycling Team, or so Floyd Landis claims.  If this fact is true,(and given Floyd Landis's track record of flip-flop inventiveness over the years, this is a very big if) then Andy Rihs should have been charged along with Floyd Landis. There should have been an investigation of Team Phonak, and if any wrongdoing could have been discovered, then the whole bunch should have been charged with doping violations and chucked out into the street.  To say that an organized doping program did not exist on Team Phonak before Floyd Landis arrived would be misguided lunacy.  Tyler Hamilton was a chronic Phonak doper who took substance abuse to extreme levels.  Phonak had so many riders who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs that the UCI felt obliged to pull Phonak's Pro Tour license.  The license was only restored after Phonak put on a show of cleaning up the team through a bogus internal team biological passport that turned out to be nothing more than developing a methodology to beat the WADA labs.  But, when Floyd Landis tested positive for synthetic testosterone, Phonak described the situation as a "personal affair," that had nothing whatever to do with Phonak.  See the deception in all of this?  Of course, nobody is accusing the Yankees baseball team of running an organized doping program that included the Biogenesis of America.

Never trust any team, cycling or baseball that carries around a mandate against doping, a blood centrifuge, or blood diagnostic equipment.  Or the name Garmin or Sky.  Stated intentions are never what they appear to be; there always seems to be an underlying current of deception lurking somewhere right below the pristine surface: follow the money!

Of course, baseball could ban players for eight years for a second doping offense instead of for 161 games, then people could be rid of these repeat offenders -- like they rid the world of Lance Armstrong!  Eight years is like a lifetime ban.  But then again, baseball can continue the charade and pay men who dope millions of dollars under binding contracts at the insistence of the players union.  Everybody is saying that Alex Rodriguez wanted to be the first player to hit 800 home runs; just like Lance Armstrong wanted to be the first man to win seven Tour de France titles.  The punishment should be commensurate with the crime after all.

Alex Rodriguez will serve his suspension and the Yankees will probably eat his contract and farm him out to some baseball team in Siberia.  But it is time for baseball to rethink the problem and re-structure the contracts.  Otherwise teams will continue to be stuck with deadwood and the remaining players who have not yet been caught will never be incentivized to quit.

Wheelmen: Book Review

Wheelmen, Reed Albergotti and Vanessa O' Connell, Gotham Books, 2013

Wheelmen approaches the business side of cycling.  Wheelmen is primarily focused on the creative genius of Thomas Weisel.  Thomas Weisel developed the concept of formulating an American cycling team, which would dominate the Tour de France.  Considering the indifference to professional cycling in the United States at the time, an American team win in a classic race was considered almost impossible.  Nevertheless, in spite of the long odds of success, Thomas Weisel managed to secure an agreement with the United States Postal Service to sponsor a professional cycling team owned by Tailwind Sport. When the Postal Service team continued to lose money, Thomas Weisel offered limited partnership options to a group of fanatical cycling entrepreneurs, men such as David "Tiger" Williams of Williams Trading LLC. The David " Tiger" Williams group was more interesting in fostering the growth of cycling in the United States than in a profit margin.  What emerged from all of these efforts was a spectacular United States Postal Service Professional Cycling Team, and a unbelievable domination of the Tour de France by an American team for six years.  When the United States Postal Service ended their sponsorship, Tailwind Sport immediately signed a new sponsorship deal with the Discovery Channel.  One sponsorship contract stipulation postulated by the Discovery Channel, according to one account: (although this fact is disputed in Wheelmen) required Lance Armstrong to race for the Discovery Channel team in one Tour de France.  This stipulation in the sponsorship contract only makes sense considering the amazing amount of exposure and return in revenue to expenditure Lance Armstrong was generating by his athleticism.  For example, it is estimated that the United States Postal Service generated $1.5 billion in European sales a year before sponsoring the U.S. Postal cycling team, but after sponsoring the cycling team, European sales increased to over $3 billion a year.  Sales of Trek bicycles increased by 141%.  Nike and Oakley also had monumental increases in sales.  All of these profits were directly attributed to relationships with Lance Armstrong.  Lance Armstrong was a gold mine, people loved his remarkable recovery from cancer, they loved his "miracle" racing success on the bike.  Lance Armstrong was a American icon.  When Lance Armstrong started the Lance Armstrong Foundation, now known as the Livestrong Foundation, and Nike developed the classic yellow Livestrong rubber bracelet to raise money for cancer awareness, an enthusiastic public immediately forked over $500 million in one-dollar donations.  Yellow Livestrong bracelets were seen to adorn celebrities and plebeians alike.  Lance Armstrong was like King Midas, everything he touched turned to gold.

Fools gold, fueled by performance-enhancing drug abuse.  The Lance Armstrong empire, due to an unusual set of circumstances, would come tumbling down in a heap of rubble; the indestructible Goliath would be taken down by a mild mannered David.  Travis T. Tygart of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).  Ironically, the fatal information, which would lead to the demise of Lance Armstrong was provided by Floyd Landis.  Floyd Landis is a former disgraced Tour de France winner who had his title stripped after being found guilty of using synthetic testosterone in a highly contentious arbitration process.  In the Floyd Landis arbitration process the roles were reversed: Travis Tygart played the role of Goliath, with a succulent taxpayer funded budget of $15 million a year.  Floyd Landis played the role of David without a slingshot, or two wooden nickels in his pocket to rub together.  In the Floyd Landis arbitration process, USADA employed stall tactics. For example, Howard L. Jacobs submitted a document to USADA requesting information pertinent to the defense with regards to suspicious lab results generated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory LNDD, but access to this discovery request was flatly denied by USADA; even though USADA was in possession of the documentation at the time of Mr. Jacobs request.  Similar document access requests submitted to USADA by Maurice Suh were also denied by USADA until the arbitration panel, after months of legal wrangling, ordered USADA to release the documents to Floyd Landis.  The Floyd Landis arbitration case was extended for two and a half years. USADA received $15 million a year from the United States taxpayer for a total of $37.5 million. Floyd Landis had to appeal to David "Tiger" Williams, hat in hand, for help with his legal expenses.  USADA had an operating budget of $37.5 million to fight mono a mono a man who had exhausted all of his savings in protracted legal expenses engineered by USADA.  By the end of the arbitration process Floyd Landis did not possess one red cent.  Of course, I am convinced that inequity in expense funding to cover legal costs was one of the motivating factors deterring Lance Armstrong from mounting a challenge against USADA.  But Lance Armstrong did have a plausible defense.  Lance Armstrong never failed a single test conducted by the "gold standard" of WADA accredited laboratories. WADA has always advocated a aura of infallibility never to be contested.  Lance Armstrong had assembled a team of $1000 a hour lawyers who were experts in federal courts, but who had no experience in doping arbitration cases. Lance Armstrong's legal team did not understand the irrational nature of arbitration; where the rules are arbitrary, and capricious, and subjected to change with every prosecution request. Lance Armstrong's legal team did not understand that WADA code is not legally binding in arbitration.  Lance Armstrong's expensive group of legal experts would have certainly bankrupted Lance Armstrong in an arbitration fight.  Travis Tygart would have employed the Bleak House method of arbitration, with continual denials of access to information pertinent to the defense, and delay of process, until Lance Armstrong joined Floyd Landis in bankruptcy court.  Travis Tygart would have made sure of that.

Then there is the second question posed in Wheelmen: what motivated Floyd Landis to blow the whistle on Lance Armstrong?  Answer?  (1) Floyd Landis had nothing to lose.  (2) Floyd Landis had thrity million reasons to break to code of omerta and finger Lance Armstrong: a qui tam suit.  But Lance Armstrong is certainly to blame!  When Lance Armstrong returned in 2009 after his brief hiatus from cycling and Team Radio Shack was formed, according to Wheelmen:

That July when Landis learned about Radio Shack, he swallowed his pride and called Johan Bruyneel to ask for a spot on the team.  Bruyneel turned him down.  He said Floyd would bring too much negative publicity, that in terms of public relations, Floyd was radioactive. P.243.

Of course, Johan Bruyneel signed his own death warrant.  Persona non grata was a mistake.  All Floyd Landis wanted to do was race.  If Floyd Landis would have been allowed to join Team Radio Shack, Lance Armstrong will still be a cycling god, and Johan Bruyneel would still have a career as directeur sportif!  There were also rumors at the time that Lance Armstrong personally vetoed all Floyd Landis requests to join a European pro-tour or Continental team.  There was Lance Armstrong, summa doper, returning to the limelight, the money and accolades, while Floyd Landis sat in a log cabin scorned by the cycling community like some outcast leper.  Floyd Landis was so angry he finally decided to do something about Lance Armstrong.  Floyd Landis sent an e-mail to USA Cycling president Steve Johnson describing past doping offenses Lance Armstrong committed, doping offenses Floyd Landis had personally witnessed and participated in; such as the team blood transfusion at a French highway rest stop, at midnight, while the bus driver feigned mechanical trouble.  What chutzpah!  Imagine what would have happened if a French policeman had stopped to ask what the trouble was!  The bus was plainly marked the United States Postal Service Professional Cycling Team.  Inside the bus the entire team was re-infusing their own blood!  The Festina Affair would have been like a firecracker compared to an atomic bomb if the team would have been caught!  Insane!  One might ask the question: what evil being was in possession of these people?  The answer is; Johan Bruyneel thought the hotel where the team was assigned was bugged with microphones and cameras.  Blood transfusions at the hotel was out of the question!  Thus the midnight bus blood transfusions, in spite of incredible risks, was the only solution.

Descriptions of these tales of doping by Floyd Landis certainly triggered an atomic response.  The United States Department Of Justice immediately convened a grand jury to hear witness testimony to determine if the United States Postal Service Professional Cycling Team had engaged in any criminal activity.  Lead by Jeff Novitzky, former teammates of Lance Armstrong who rode for the U.S Postal and Discovery Channel teams were forced to testify under oath or to submit written depositions as to their involvement in, and/or knowledge of, any doping practices, trafficking, or wire transfers of money, which may have occurred while they were riding for the U.S. Postal Service or the Discovery Channel teams.  Things looked bleak for Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel, but suddenly, apropos of nothing, the criminal investigation suddenly terminated.

The criminal investigation may have terminated but Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel still faced civil action in the form of a qui tam, or whistle blower suit where the United States Postal Service claimed the cycling team violated their contractual agreements not to engage in performance-enhancing drug use; and if it was to be determined in court that the team was in violation of this "no drug" stipulation, this contractual violation constituted fraud.  Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel were listed as the men most responsible for this fraud, when it was reported by Floyd Landis,  Johan Bruyneel had told him all of the extra team Trek bicycles and Shimano Dura Ace group sets were being sold in Belgium "off the books" to finance the doping program.  Of course, the lack of a suitable time trial training bike was one of the points of contention, along with an inadequate salary, which caused Floyd Landis to leave US Postal Service and join team Phonak; as Floyd Landis recounts in his book, Positively False.  Of course, Floyd Landis did not disclose the bicycles for dope scheme; in his book because he was still trying to maintain his victim status and his aura of innocence!  Anyway, if the US Postal Service prevails, the judgment against Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel could be as high as $120 million and Floyd Landis could receive a reward of $30 million.

So much for Floyd Landis and his motivations.  Lance Armstrong thanked the government for dropping the grand jury probe, but alas, USADA was waiting in the wings.  Travis Tygart grabbed all of the grand jury witnesses who had testified and convinced them they would "clean up cycling" if they would testify against Lance Armstrong.  The response was overwhelming: even Lance Armstrong's most trusted lieutenant, George Hincapie, the super domestique who helped Lance Armstrong win all seven of his consecutive Tour de France victories testified.  A non-analytical positive case was quickly developing against Lance Armstrong, Johan Bruyneel, Michel Ferrari, Pepi Marti, Luis Garcia del Moral, et al., and the evidence appeared to be overwhelming.  Suddenly, Lance Armstrong surrendered, he announced that he would not contest the evidence in arbitration.  USADA had won the war without firing a shot or spending a penny.  The Reasoned Decision followed, a terse summary of the evidence collected against the accused parties, and Lance Armstrong had all seven of his titles rescinded without a hearing.  Also, USADA ordered Lance Armstrong a lifetime ban from professional cycling and any other sanctioned sport, including triathlon competitions Lance Armstrong was keen to compete in at the time.

Lance Armstrong was outraged by the USADA action.  Armstrong thought that he had been unfairly singled out for an excessive punishment arguing that he was merely doing what the entire peloton was doing at the time: using performance-enhancing drugs to win races.  Lance Armstrong wanted his penalty reduced so he could continue to compete in sanctioned triathlon competitions.  Ironically enough, Travis Tygart offered Lance Armstrong an option to keep five of his Tour de France titles if he would testify under oath and help to "clean up the sport."  However, Lance Armstrong has declined to accept this offer, and he was not convinced that the offer of an eight-year suspension Travis Tygart offered was a good deal.  As Lance Armstrong reasoned, an eight-year suspension amounted to a lifetime ban since he would be over forty years old when the suspension ended, so he would never again be in contention in triathlons.  Lance Armstrong declined USADA's offer, a stupendous blunder, true, but nobody can accuse Lance Armstrong of violating the code of omerta!

When Nike decided to pull the plug on Lance Armstrong as corporate spokesman, other stalwart companies who had backed Armstrong did the same.  Trek, Oakley, other companies that had endorsement deals followed suit.  Lance Armstrong skirted down the mountain like an avalanche, the momentum could not be stopped.  The board of the Lance Armstrong Foundation asked Lance Armstrong to resign.  Sports Contest Associate (SCA) Promotions, who was ordered by the court to pay a five million dollar bonus and legal fees to Lance Armstrong for winning his sixth Tour de France victory was demanding a refund.  The London Sunday Times who printed David Walsh's contention that Lance Armstrong was using performance-enhancing drugs was sued by Lance Armstrong for libel.  A British court ordered the London Sunday Times to pay 300,000 quid British sterling to Lance Armstrong.  Now the paper was filing a lawsuit demanding a refund and damages.  Other firms were lining up with lawsuits.  Lance Armstrong's entire fortune was in jeopardy of vanishing into ethereal space.  The American love affair with Lance Armstrong was over.

Then the final blunder.  Lance Armstrong confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs on Oprah.  The public relations campaign, if it could be described as such, backfired.  Nobody cared about a washed-up, over the hill ex-cyclist doper who competed in triathlon competitions.  People were more worried about discovering the fountain of youth with deer antler spray.  The coup de Oprah did nothing to increase her ratings either.  People had become bored with Oprah.

There is the final issue of Lance Armstrong using performance-enhancing drugs during the 2009 and 2010 Tours de France.  Lance Armstrong denies any use of performance-enhancing drugs after 2005.  Lance Armstrong claims the variations discovered in the UCI biological passport were caused by natural physiological processes.  However, there was a missed opportunity that UCI and cycling probably will rue forever.  An opportunity to nail two past Tour de France champions at the same time, Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador.

Plasticizer Armstrong

I conclude this review with this thought and extensive quotation from Wheelmen as to a method that could have caught both Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong in one fell swoop during the 2009 Tour de France.

Several anti-doping scientists believed Armstrong was planning to use blood transfusions during the 2009 Tour de France, and they were in the process of developing a test they thought would be able to catch him.  The new test, which was being developed in a laboratory in Barcelona, could detect plastic molecules from transfusion bags in riders blood.  The scheme would require cooperation from several organizations, including WADA, UCI, and the Swiss anti-doping laboratory that handled blood testing for the Tour de France.  But as the test hadn't yet been perfected, the plan was to freeze Armstrong's blood and test it later.  There was a small hitch, though.  In order to preserve a frozen specimen, a chemical needed to be mixed with the blood. P.231.

Thus the problem: the preservative.  Adding a preservative would compromise the integrity of the sample.

The people involved in the plan decided they would take the blood test, seal both samples in front of Armstrong, and then beak the seal at the lab, add the preservative, and freeze it.  Once the Barcelona test was perfected, they would test Armstrong's blood for the plasticizer.  Because the seals were broken, the test itself could not be used to sanction Armstrong, but it could be used in conjunction with other evidence - such as witness testimony - to convict him of a doping offense.  The scientists were excited.  They thought they had their man.  P.232; italics added.

Hmmm! Really!  A tampered sample was to be used as supplemental evidence?  Nevertheless, didn't they find elevated plastic in Alberto Contador's blood samples in 2010 when he tested positive for clenbuterol?  And was not this finding for elevated plasticizer not used as supplemental evidence?

It is a pity that the test for the plasticizers had not been perfected at the time.  Indeed, both Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador could have been detected.  Lance Armstrong could have been exposed as a fraud.  Alberto Contador could have been tagged as a three-time loser and banned forever.

But like with all novel ideas people get cold feet and reconsider.  The idea fizzled because nobody was courageous enough to go through with the plan.

From Wheelmen:

The attempt by anti-doping scientists to test for plasticizers in Armstrong's blood had also failed.  The anti-doping laboratory that was supposed to store the blood pulled out at the last minute, just before the Tour, when it came under pressure from the UCI, which said that the test fell outside the bounds of normal testing procedure. P.235; italics added.

Conclusion

If you are a neophyte doping investigator or a seasoned expert in the subject: Wheelmen is a good read.  The best man in this drama is none other than David "Tiger" Williams who told Floyd Landis to depart U.S. Postal Service for Phonak, even though Williams had a vested interest in Tailwind Sport.  Then when Floyd Landis faced economic calamity, David "Tiger" Williams came to the rescue, once again, with money to help with the legal costs of Floyd Landis' arbitration.  A good man.

2014: The Golden Age Of Cycling?

Have cycling fanatics become like possessed swine who rather than submit to exorcism to expel demons, would prefer, like Ostriches, to bury their heads in the sand pretending to be invisible?  Oblivious of reality, do cycling fanatics follow the herd mentality, and rush off a precipice into the sea in a fit of mass hysteria?  Sure enough, the hardcore cycling fanatic refuses to abandon the sport; no matter how dismal the circumstances may appear.  But this aberration clearly does not apply to the fair weather fans, who are only interested when an American hero has a chance to win the race.

Back in 2006, there were large numbers of people crowded around the television to watch the Tour de France, and the race was on all day long.  In 2013, the television was tuned elsewhere, there were no requests or desire to watch the Tour de France.  Professional cycling has become British dominated rubbish of highly dubious value, the source of this British dominance is hugely suspect.  To investigate the source of this British success seems beyond the power of the regulatory agencies.  But when American champions test positive for performance-enhancing drugs they have their titles taken away by the regulatory agencies.  American heroes are always banned for life, zealously hounded, while European champions who are guilty of similar crimes receive the Ostrich treatment; a small slap on the hand, new contracts, and unlimited future racing opportunities.  The credo among the Eurozone; ignore everything and maintain omerta.  Honestly, it is proven that Jan Ullrich committed numerous performance-enhancing drug-related offenses; to claim otherwise is nonsense.  Has Jan Ullrich's 1996 Tour de France title been erased?  Was Jan Ullrich suspended for life? 

Back during the days of Marshall Walter "Major" Taylor, the greatest track cyclist of all time, the velodrome was packed with over a hundred thousand rabid American fans. American fans ruled the track cycling world. But with the invention of the automobile, and race fixing by professional gamblers, cycling has faced hard times in America.

So what are we left with?  A bunch of jaded fans who have become callous to everything including dope?  Imagine Marshall Walter "Major" Taylor these days killing fools on the track.  Imagine if you will the accusations and recriminations that would issue from the mouths of self-styled evangelical narcissistic perfectionists.  The man is too perfect to be of biological origin, the power equation is impossible sans dope. Yes?  I am sure Major Taylor patiently endured smears from the culture of his day as to the question of his biological origin, but to include probable doping as the reason for his outstanding performance would have been the final coup de grace!

Yes?  But as a human species, we have evolved!  No longer are people treated differently based on ethnic origin.  The playing field has been leveled.  All men are now created equal thanks to the eternal diffusion of knowledge and acceptance of the philosophy of diversity.  Hypocritical reasoning has been abandoned in favor of sound rational reasoning, especially in cycling, our holy sport.  Never again will cycling be besmirched by foul greedy opportunists or their facilitators.  Some of the facilitators, sadly, also pose as agents of governing bodies.  But in future men who are in positions of power espousing flowery rhetoric, men who engage in under the table sleight of hand, men who accept bribes to falsify laboratory test results; will be detected, reformed, or removed from power.  Never again in the utopian world of 2014 will men be tempted by greed, avarice, bribery; all vice will be abandoned in favor of the moniker of "fair play."  Riders will actually win races based on superior physical ability, not upon a cocktail of performance-enhancing drugs they received during training and racing.  Indeed, punishment will be meted out in a non-discriminatory fashion and apply equally to everyone regardless of national origin.  Persona non grata will disappear, athletes will be granted the same due process rights as the prosecution, and athletes will always be afforded the means to defend themselves in arbitration.  2014 onward will be regarded as the Golden Age of Cycling, with beautiful riders adorned in festive colors riding through scenic splendor, athletes who will be adored by admiring fans who know that the golden boys and girls who compose the peloton can resist temptation and compete fairly.  The podium girls will shine above all with their angelic goodness.

An impossible dream?  Depends upon you and me too, dear reader.  We can take some initiative or continue on as possessed swine who pose as Ostriches with buried heads; rushing off the precipice in a suicidal plunge of self-deception.

Meanwhile, see you on the sub-zero teeth chattering, bone-chilling descent, baby!

 

Doping: Cycling's Vicious Cycle

Don't ask me to repeat myself again.  You, dear reader, know that the sports world and cycling in particular is saturated with cheaters and dopers who will venture all for greed and fame.  The golden fleece awarded to the winner of the Tour de France is as addictive to some people as the endless accumulation of money is addictive to a Wall Street Banker, and is characteristic of our worthless genetic constitutions as human beings. The degree of doping of sport is certainly driven by monetary considerations where cycling as a profession seems to wane in comparison with Baseball at least in America; but the disparity even though absurd is equaled in some degree by sponsorship agreements.  Think of what Lance Armstrong did for Trek bicycles!  Trek doled out millions of dollars but made much, much, more!  U.S. Postal made a mint too considering the pitiful contribution made to cycling; whom most Americans before Lance Armstrong would not even consider a legitimate sport!

Phew!  Why bother with stupid summations and comparisons, except to state that Lance Armstrong was treated in the most disgraceful fashion by Travis Tygart and the United States Anti-Doping Agency.  Seems like the anti-doping crusade is as addicted to wealth and power as much as the cheating athletes!  Stripping Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles was an excessive abuse of prosecutorial zeal, certainly, and deterred whom?  Probably no one on Team Sky who don't have to worry about a fourteen year personal vendetta from Inspector Javert; but if they were under his jurisdiction instead of Brian Cookson's, things would be different!  Because like Inspector Javert, Travis Tygart would rather drown himself in the Seine rather than to shirk from his civic duty!  This endless police obsession with bringing the criminal to justice after fourteen years of futile effort reflect as much madness on the part of the police as on the criminal.  But fame and notoriety are addictive, who doesn't want to be remembered as a legendary crime fighter?  The poor sport of cycling is suffering from a surcease of embarrassment from these obsessional vendettas, never fear.  Those who were responsible for cleaning up the sport showed an incredible amount of ineptness and let the cancer fester; when with a little initiative they could have circumvented this whole sordid doping plague in the bud!  But, there is still time to strut like a peacock years after the fact when the patient is terminal and facing certain death. But then again if you happen to be stuffing your purse with gratuities why not turn a blind eye to the obvious.  After all there were plenty of allegations swirling around and plenty of finger pointing.  But rest assured with the new administration we can all expect a speedy resolution and ruthless purge of the offending persons even if it happens to be ten years after the fact!

But don't expect any empathy from me, criminals or police, you both belong in the pantheon of cycling shame, a pox on your houses!  As for the intimidation of the riders in professional races, Bernard Hinault makes Lance Armstrong look meek in comparison; but back in the good old days the riders took it on the chin like men and did not run off like cry babies to the anti-doping agency confessional booth.  But someone has to be patron and rule over the peloton and win the race; and being patron does not include being a timid man.  This concept is an unwritten rule of cycling, understood by all.  It is hypocritical to include this behavior as reprehensible when it has been the code of conduct in professional races since Maurice Garon.

So stop the whining.  You ever been bullied and dumped in a ditch for refusing to comply with an order from the patron?  You ever had the patron bridge the gap and order you to drop out of a breakaway?  This sort of behavior is infectious and reinforcing especially when the target is an introverted, nervous man.  Nevertheless, there has to be some sort of discipline with in the pack or there would chaos, mayhem, accidents, and injuries in abundance.  Mavericks who take dangerous chances are not acceptable players.  People who whine about being kept in check need to consider another profession, there is no use in acting like a spoiled child expecting preferential treatment.  If you guys don't respect the sport you are so naturally gifted for, then go drive a long haul truck like Iban Mayo!  Honestly, I can't figure out how the group would even want to ride with you whiny losers, let alone have you on their teams!

Enough!  2013 what a year, phew!  I was expecting improvement and full disclosure by this time.  But instead of immediate action, we see endless procrastination, excuses, denials, failure to communicate, idiocy, and stupidity.  The UCI is a joke, even considering the recent house cleaning, and without immediate reform will continue to be a source of buffoonery.  But don't expect miracles unless you are using performance enhancing drugs!  Fear not!  Even though you are generating amazing amounts of power on climbs up the Pyrenees cols and dropping the entire peloton, friends are watching your back!

It is endlessly the same old thing over and over again!

Slaying the Badger: Book Review

Slaying the Badger, Richard Moore, Velo Press, 2012

Superbly written, organized, and researched.  Richard Moore is a child prodigy of the eighties cycling scene, he writes with passion.  As to the question posed by the book title, was the 1986 Tour de France the very best of all time?  The answer is probably subjective; were the epic battles between Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor "the eternal second" inferior in quality?  How about the legendary struggles between Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich?  After all, the Lance Armstrong era glued millions of entranced fanatics to the Tour de France, not only in the United States, but all over the world, and a simple decree cannot erase seven years of cycling history.  Let us say that the 1985 and 1986 Tours de France combined may be the best cycling story of all time.  The 1985 Tour de France was fraught with bizarre circumstances that would lead to a bitter feud between two great champions, Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond, who rode on the same team, La Vie Claire, in the 1986 Tour de France.  Query, in the 1985 Tour de France, when given the opportunity on the Luz Ardiden climb, why did Greg LeMond refuse to work with Stephen Roche and attack Bernard Hinault who was three minutes behind suffering from the side effects of a broken nose?  Bernard Hinault went over the handlebars and landed on his face when his front wheel collided with Phil Anderson's back wheel less than a kilometer from the finish line at St. Etienne.*  On the Luz Ardiden climb, Bernard Hinault could not keep pace with Greg LeMond and Stephen Roche. If Greg LeMond and Stephen Roche had seized the initiative to attack and drop Bernard Hinault, they may have engineered one of the greatest upsets in cycling history.  Greg LeMond may have won the 1985 Tour de France.**  In retrospect one may argue Greg LeMond and Stephen Roche committed the greatest tactical blunder in cycling history.  Paul Kochli, sports director, La Vie Claire, has been accused of ordering Greg LeMond to slow his tempo allowing Bernard Hinault to make up enough time to remain maillot jaune.  Was Greg LeMond really the loyal domestique who was willing to sacrifice his probable Tour de France victory and follow orders to protect the maillot jaune?  After the Luz Ardiden climb, Greg LeMond wanted to quit the 1985 Tour de France feeling he had been cheated by La Vie Claire.  Did Bernard Tapie, Bernard Hinault, and Greg LeMond really strike a grand bargain in a secret meeting, where Bernard Hinault assured Greg LeMond he would work as a domestique for Greg LeMond in the 1986 Tour de France?  Could Bernard Hinault relinquish his role as patron to a frail, paranoid, weak man, who was afraid of his own shadow?  In the 1986 Tour de France, Bernard Hinault could not resist a suicide attack, doomed to fail, even though he had an insurmountable lead of over five minutes on Greg LeMond, and with conservative riding, Bernard Hinault could have easily won the 1986 Tour de France.  Was this insane attack nothing more than a bold move to destroy the pack and sort out the pretenders, while testing the mettle of his main rival Greg LeMond?  Was Bernard Hinault merely having fun, mixing things up, honoring the terms of his agreement with Greg LeMond?  Or did Bernard Hinault suffer from "Merckxissimo!" trying to stay away from the chase, therefore cementing his legendary status in the annals of cycling forever?  Nevertheless!  Greg LeMond squandered a golden opportunity to bury Bernard Hinault on L'Alpe d'Huez!  Except for a bravado of bluster from both gladiators years after the event: nothing happened on L'Alpe d'Huez except for a few chants of "Hinault!" and a few affectionate pats on Greg LeMond's backside by appreciative fans.  Greg LeMond claims he was afraid of being punched in the kidneys by some disgruntled fan like Eddy Merckx in the 1975 Tour de France.  Bernard Hinault claims he told Greg LeMond to stay on his wheel for the entire climb to deter such attacks, to protect him from harm.  Again was Bernard Hinault testing Greg LeMond's mettle and did Greg LeMond again refuse an opportunity to attack Bernard Hinault?  After the hand in hand, grateful teammate theatrics at the summit of L'Alpe d'Huez; Bernard Hinault assured the public the race was not over; there was an upcoming individual time trial left to consider!  More of Bernard Hinault's psychological intimidation aimed to encourage Greg LeMond's paranoia?  Indeed, one has to agree with Shelley Verses, soigneur, La Vie Claire: "Hinault was a man among boys, he ruled in every country." One might also agree with Shelley Verses when she tearfully complained that Bernard Hinault tortured Greg LeMond during the 1986 Tour de France.  Bernard Hinault was still patron even though Greg LeMond wore the golden fleece.

Did La Vie Claire Ride Clean?

Greg LeMond has long maintained the 1980's era of cycling was dope free, and Greg LeMond was the only "clean" champion.  The hiatus from doping in cycling during the Greg LeMond era, and on the La Vie Claire team are certain distortions of the truth.  Greg LeMond knew there was doping going on in the peloton during his reign and so did the UCI who provided doping control during the Tour de France and the other grand tours. Greg LeMond was tested on numerous occasions and even feared his 1986 Tour de France samples could be sabotaged with contamination to ensure a Bernard Hinault victory.

Let us consider the incredible results of La Vie Claire during the 1986 Tour de France, as Richard Moore describes in his most excellent book.

"For Paul Kochli, the 1986 Tour represented his greatest achievement as a directeur sportif.  In fact, there is a strong case for arguing that the La Vie Claire performance that year stands as the greatest team performance the Tour has ever seen, the roll call of honors included six stage wins; first overall with LeMond second with Hinault, fourth with Andy Hampsten; seventh with Nikki Ruttiman; and twelfth with Jean-Francois Bernard; the team prize; the combined competition (LeMond); the king of the mountains, (Hinault); and the white jersey for best young rider (Andy Hampsten)." P.267

Very impressive!  These results are better than anything U.S. Postal produced and better than English speaking, British based Team Sky!  Of course, there were four great riders on this team, Bernard Hinault, five Tour de France victories; Greg LeMond, three Tour de France victories; Andy Hampsten, one Giro d' Italia victory; and Jean-Francois Bernard, French national champion; that could explain such results sans dope.  However, in earlier Tours, when Bernard Hinault rode for Cyrille Guimard and Team Renault, Bernard Hinault had margins of victory of over ten minutes! suggesting the possible use of performance-enhancing drugs.  But as everyone knows speculation is not proof, and without further information, nothing will ever be proven.

Then there is the case of Pascal Simon.  In the 1983 Tour de France, Laurent Fignon won "by default" when Pascal Simon crashed and broke his shoulder blade during a Pyrenees stage.  But as Richard Moore points out:

"LeMond had also won the main race by default, also at the expense of Pascal Simon, when the Frenchman was stripped of his victory at the pre-tour Dauphine Libere after testing positive [for performance-enhancing drugs].  "When you win a race that way, it's a victory clear and simple because the guy who beat you probably wouldn't have been able to do it if he hadn't been using illegal substances," said Greg LeMond at the time.  But, it says everything about the lenient attitude toward doping at the time that Pascal Simon was permitted to return and start the following month's Tour, a tour he would certainly have won had he not crashed." P.92; italics added.

So from Greg LeMond's own statement not only did he know about the existence of performance-enhancing drug use within the peloton, he benefited "by default."

Then there was the issue of the post-Tour criteriums La Vie Claire appeared in that Paul Kochli allegedly hated because these races were saturated with amphetamine abuse and no doping control.  To circumvent this problem Paul Kochli decided to forgo the European criteriums, he obtained sponsorship with Red Zinger and La Vie Claire appeared in the Coors Classic.  This would indicate an effort to maintain clean riding within the team.

Then there was the acetaminophen throwing incident with Shelley Verses where Paul Kochli screamed: "there will be no doping on this team!"

But, then there was Dane Kim Anderson, who rode for La Vie Claire and tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs no less than four times.  As Richard Moore accurately states in Slaying the Badger

"And the picture painted by the soccer player Tony Cascarino is hardly encouraging.  Cascarino recounts one occasion where '[Bernard] Tapie had summoned his personal physician from Paris, and after dinner, we lined up in one of the rooms and rolled up our sleeves for a "booster" injection.  I hadn't a clue what exactly the boost was, [but they] weren't the only injections at the club.  Before games we were offered shots: twenty tiny pinpricks injected into the lower back by what looked like a stapling gun.  I asked one of the physics what it was and if it was legal.  'Of course, it's legal' he replied.  And then he smiled.  'And anyway, our doctor does all of the tests at the club.'" P.137.

But then again Shelley Verses claims in Slaying the Badger she never saw or knew of any performance substance drug abuse on La Vie Claire.  However, in an interview with John Wilcockson, where the Emma O' Reilly allegations against Lance Armstrong are discussed in L.A. Confidential: the drug running, disposal of syringes, applying cosmetics to hide bruising or needle marks, Shelley Verses makes this revealing statement:

"It is part of a soigneur's job to dispose of syringes.  And I used to drive all over the Continent getting drugs, legal drugs.  And I often lent guys makeup to hide bruises.  Riders are so vascular because they have no body fat, and they bruise easily."  Source: 23 Days In July, John Wilcockson, Da Capo Press, 2004. P. 143; italics original text.

As has been mentioned in several publications, what was once considered a legal drug in 1986, is now on the WADA prohibited list, and is forbidden as performance-enhancing.  Although Shelley Verses does not mention La Vie Claire specifically, (she also worked for the 7-11 Team); the implications are obvious.  Professional cycling teams were injecting supplements in order to gain a competitive advantage in the middle nineteen-eighties; a fact that was only briefly alluded to in Slaying the Badger.  Amphetamines were used in post-Tour de France criterium races.  This candid admission by Shelley Verses is the first direct link to the possible use of drugs by the La Vie Claire team; Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond!  And this admission explodes the Greg LeMond myth that the professional peloton was riding without the aid of pharmaceutical supplements in the nineteen-eighties!

Then there are the "miracle" cures.  On Stage 17 Gap to Col du Granon Bernard Hinault suffered from a thigh hematoma on the Col d'Izoard.  As Robert Moore recounts:

"Hinault began to suffer, earlier in the stage, he dropped back to the doctor's car for medical attention: apparently for his knee: and he would later, while negotiating a twisting descent, be seen fiddling with a hex key, adjusting his saddle height searching for a more comfortable position." P.232.

But the next day, like magic, everything is cured with no side effects!

Then there is a magical Greg LeMond.  Robert Moore includes this incredible statement from LeMond:

"I suffered on the Col du Granon," says LeMond.  "I ran out of fuel.  [LeMond] managed to avoid the dreaded fringale [bonk!] but having run his reserves so low, he was concerned about the following day's stage, in Briancon, and tackling the Col du Lautaret, the Col du Galibier, and Col de la Croix de Fer before finishing with the fabled ascent of L'Alpe d'Huez." P.232.

Nevertheless, quoting Jean-Paul Vespini, The Tour is Won on the Alpe, Velo Press, 2008. Greg LeMond told French Journalist Henri Haget.

"Bernard Hinault is not the man I knew at the start of my career.  He's obsessed with winning his sixth tour, as if he's forgotten that, without me, he never would have won his fifth.  I gave him the 1985 Tour.  He should remember that, but instead, he's forgotten that, but instead, he's created a terrible environment.  The worst was the finish at L'Alpe d'Huez when we crossed hand in hand.  It was all a big show.  I let myself get played like a novice.  I had the yellow jersey and at the foot of the climb, Hinault swore to me that it was all over, that he wouldn't attack me again on the way to Paris.  He knew I could drop him at the first turn but he asked me to let him lead on the climb to win the stage.  I could have taken five minutes out of him by the top.  I shouldn't have had any qualms about doing so." [Source: L'Express Sport, February 1988.] P.76; italics added.

So how did a man who had run out of glucose magically recover to the extent he could have dropped the badger on the first turn of L'Alpe d'Huez?  Certainly not from eating Mexican food?  If that was the case Greg LeMond would have been asking Bernard Hinault to use his hat!

Nevertheless, the phantom injury Bernard Hinault suffered also seems to have a speedy recovery with no effect on his performance.  Quoting Jean-Paul Vespini, The Tour Is Won on the Alpe, Velo Press, 2008.

"The embittered Badger responded much later, in his memoirs.  He wrote, "It wasn't my fault if LeMond didn't understand how I was conducting my race.  I did what I did to benefit him, and him alone.  I had told him that I would help him, give him a hand in winning the race.  At L'Alpe d'Huez, I could have buried him.  I think I could have put a lot of time on him that day if I had thrown down the gauntlet.  At no point was I trying to beat him.  After L'Alpe d'Huez, I only waged a small psychological war to see exactly what he was made of."  [Source: Memories of the Peloton, Bernard Hinault, Noel Henderson (Translator), Vitesse Press, 1989.] P.76; italics added.

Conclusion:

Even an injured Badger was a man among boys, and he ruled in every country!  So many mixed messages from the 1985 and 1986 Tours de France.  The truth if one exists may never be parceled out.  But the beauty of Taming the Badger besides the incredibly accurate research and the stupendous writing is the heuristic value of the book that makes you think and ponder what happened, and what could have happened if fate and karma had not intervened.  For example, if Laurent Fignon had not had a freak Achilles tendon injury would any of this history have existed?  If Bernard Hinault had not suffered a knee injury during the 1983 Tour of Spain would he have been dumped by Cyrille Guimard and team Renault?  What would have happened if Bernard Tapie had not decided to lure away Greg LeMond with false promises of royalties on the Look clipless pedal Tapie was developing at the time?  The pondering is endless, what-ifs abound.  But the biggest question of all is without Hinault's senseless attack, with a five-minute twenty-five-second lead, would Greg LeMond have won the 1986 Tour de France, and was Greg LeMond really the strongest rider that year?  Have fun figuring that one out for yourselves!

UPDATE:

*To be fair, Phil Anderson claimed the accident was caused by an imperfection in the road that caused his bicycle to lose traction and slide enough for a collision to occur.  Bernard Hinault called Phil Anderson an amateur racer and blamed his lack of experience for the crash.  Because the crash occurred within the last kilometer of the stage, Bernard Hinault received the same time as the group he was riding with.  Riders are not penalized because spectacular crashes often occur during sprints at the end of stages.  Riders held up behind crashes have no ability to maneuver through the carnage.  Thus they deserve no penalty.

**Greg LeMond has declared many times he is the rightful winner of the 1985 Tour de France.  Wishful thinking does not win Grand Tours.  Cunning, determination, luck, and talent win Grand Tours.  Sickness and accidents happen during Grand Tours.  At the finish line, the best course time wins Grand Tours.  Whining after the race is over is the tactic of losers.  Bernard Hinault is the rightful winner of the 1985 Tour de France.  Greg LeMond finished where he belonged, a podium second place.  If you have a golden opportunity to win, go!

UCI Joins WADA to Investigate Past Corruption

Well, the International Cycling Union (UCI) has finally discarded the garbage and has vowed to reform the system, which we fans all agree is necessary, but to establish an "independent" commission with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to investigate the past culpability of Pat McQuaid and Hein Verbruggen, who allegedly suppressed positive doping tests in return for bribes from Lance Armstrong, tests that were measured in WADA accredited laboratories, and the knowledge of which must have also been suppressed by the individual laboratory directors who were aware of this confidential information seems a bit odd.  It is logical to conclude that if information relating to the suppression of test results did occur that WADA should have been aware of the situation and, should also be "independently" investigated as to who was aware of these allegations, where the document packages were routed, why further action was not taken by the sanctioning body, and why the laboratory employees were ordered to maintain omerta.

Of course, trying to reconstruct who was involved after the lapse of may years may not be so easy to establish because some of the actors have moved on to other professions, quit or retired.  Als,o it is quite well known that after a period of time lapses in memory recall do occur and facts become confused with recollection.  Then, naturally, people lie, deny, and cover up hard to trace points of contention that cannot be conclusively proved without eye witness accounts, or to protect their own interests.  Point of fact, WADA must have been involved in this scandal, the extent of WADA involvement cannot be placed on a back burner while the committee is investigating the role of the UCI.  This UCI, WADA partnership seems so suspicious and to a credulous person reeks of the old proverb, "one hand washes another," and at face value seems a ridiculous, preposterous proposition.  But who knows, the new regime may have more sense than to repeat the same blunders of the old regime and actually appoint a committee that is independent of both the UCI and WADA, with absolute power to subpoena pertinent information without interference from the agencies being investigated.

Then again this formulation of a partnership between the UCI and WADA may be nothing more than window dressing to save face, a device to divert the ongoing cascade of criticism that the UCI and WADA are not doing enough to address the continuing allegations of doping in cycling.  Merely announcing impending meetings to address the issue of past corruption by the UCI and the possible complicity by WADA will accomplish nothing.  Action speaks louder than words, it is not enough to simply formulate a plan, the plan must be acted upon, the disease must be rooted out at the source.  Those guilty must be punished and banned from ever participating or having any future contact with the sport of cycling.  Those who are guilty of violations of national or international laws should be fined and imprisoned.

We shall see.  But for now, the formulation of the "independent" committee is nothing more than a laughable myth.  Let us hope that it does not remain that way.   

Brian Cookson: UCI Era of Honesty, Straightforwardness, and Transparency?

Brian Cookson is the new president of the International Cycling Union!  Out with Pat McQuaid who has been accused of infecting cycling with his particular virus of lies, cover-ups, and corruption.  We cycling fanatics hope that the new administration will focus on the ideals of honesty, straightforwardness, and transparency.

But will this be the case?  Brian Cookson does seem an odd choice in light of the current doping scandals that continue to plague Team Sky, Bradley Wiggins, and Chris Froome.  No need to mention the continuing skepticism that plagues the resurgence in British cycling Mr. Cookson seems to be directly involved with as past President of British Cycling.  This British Cycling resurgence allegedly was nothing more than a harmless effort to invest money into a British national cycling program that had the goal of dominating Olympic and UCI track and road races.  Money spent on better facilities attracts better athletes.  Better athletes win more races.  The East Germans had the same philosophy.  But the East German state understood that no matter how athletically gifted her citizens are, it is virtually impossible for a single country to dominate Olympic and UCI cycling without using illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

Here are the most salient questionable points directly related to the absurd success of the recently resurgent British Cycling program quoted directly from the New York Times article composed by Ian Austen.

When Cookson, a modestly successful amateur cyclist, and landscape architect, became president of British Cycling in 1997, it was near bankruptcy.  Britain had won one Olympic gold medal in 76 years, and rare appearances by British teams at the Tour de France were embarrassments.  Development programs and partnerships introduced by Cookson, along with British national lottery money, helped Britain win gold medals in eight cycling events at last year’s Olympics.  The last two Tour de France winners, Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome, ride for Team Sky, the professional offshoot of British Cycling.

"One gold medal in seventy-six years" then gold medals in eight Olympic cycling events!  British teams and riders were once considered embarrassments in previous editions of the Tour de France. Tommy Simpson and British petroleum not excepted. But suddenly, after the newly minted British Cycling program developed by Brian Cookson, Team Sky dominates the Tour de France with wide margins not seen since U.S. Postal and Lance Armstrong!  Bradley Wiggins in spite of his track racing prowess was never considered a good Grand Tour road cyclist; then suddenly he wins the race going away!  Team Sky dominates the peloton like Discovery Channel!  Brian Cookson seems an odd choice to elect as the new president of the UCI in light of the fact that people are declaring this new resurgence in British Cycling suspect, possibly aided by performance-enhancing drug use.  Brian Cookson may be ignorant of any dope related malfeasance among British Cycling or Team Sky riders; but then again, if these incredible results call for an "independent" investigation, the chair of this "independent" investigation may be the fox who is investigating the disappearance of the hens from the coop, for which he bears some responsibility.  Of course, this fox will lead the investigators astray with obscurantism since he and his fellow foxes may be culpable.  Realistically,  money can't buy all of this British success!

The British are making the Italians, French, and Belgians look like fools!  Countries who have produced numerous great cycling champions; Eddy Merckx, Gino Bartali, Bernard Hinault, and Fausto Coppi.  The Spanish have produced many great champions, Alberto Contador excepted.  Federico Bahamontes was a naturally gifted legendary climber of exceptional merit.  What has Britain given us?  Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome?  Both British Tour de France champions are suspected of achieving success from performance-enhancing drug use.

I hope this change in the UCI leadership is something more than a cosmetic sea change which amounts to more of the same.  Of course, who would argue getting rid of Pat McQuaid is wrong?  Cycling was tainted from steroids and those who were accused of facilitating their use.  But what now?  Has cycling evolved, finally into a new "clean" era, and can the UCI administration "finally" be trusted to tell the truth in an honest, straightforward, and transparent manner?  Or when the evidence points to potential wrongdoing will we be fed more lies and deceptions?  Brian Cookson is an odd choice as UCI President given his potential involvement in a resurgence in British Cycling that makes no sense and is clearly suspect.  But why not give the man a chance to hang himself?

Lance Armstrong: Surrender Your Medal!

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has finally emerged from a thirteen-year comatose state and has demanded that Lance Armstrong voluntarily surrender his misbegotten 2000 Olympic individual time trial bronze medal to the USOC based upon his confession of using performance-enhancing substances; sans a due process arbitration hearing.  I am absolutely convinced this new humiliation of Lance Armstrong will absolutely prove to neophyte aspirants to Olympic success that glory achieved by doping is not worth the risk of detection, apprehension, and punishment.

Of course, this opinion as to the effectiveness of punishment thirteen years after the fact when it is very probable that every medalist in Olympic cycling during the steroid era used performance-enhancing drugs is highly dubious. Olympic cyclists who were never detected let alone punished for performance-enhancing drug use does not act as a deterrent for neophyte Olympic aspirants to refrain from doping. The probability of being caught and punished continues to be astronomically small during the Olympic games, in spite of advancements in dope testing.  Retrograde admissions of performance-enhancing drug use from a retired athlete, and demands for punishment for this admission from sanctioning bodies, deter nobody currently engaged in nefarious doping behavior.  Will the USOC insist that athletes who currently dope will be apprehended years from now in some dragnet, then humiliated with exposure for past crimes, then forced to return Olympic medals and refund prize money?

One of my former heroes, Jan Ullrich won an Olympic gold medal.  Herr Jan Ullrich was not only linked to Operation Puerto: but he also tested positive for amphetamines after taking the drug ecstasy during a rave.  Herr Jan Ullrich was Lance Armstrong's main rival for seven consecutive Tours de France and there is a minuscule chance Jan Ullrich rode clean during any Tour de France. Nevertheless, there is no clamor among the outraged International Olympic Committee (IOC) to investigate Herr Jan Ullrich for possible doping during the 2000 Olympic games where Jan Ullrich won gold and silver medals; or any suggestion that Jan Ullrich admit to doping; or that his teammate's exact revenge in sworn affidavits pointing out all of the doping violations Jan Ullrich engaged in.  Nor did the IOC demand that Rudy Pevenage be banned for life for his alleged involvement in cheating.  Nor did the UCI demand that Herr Jan Ullrich and Team Telekom be made into an international scandal and example of doping subterfuge.

Only in America do we drag our past heroes through the sewage exacting revenge; no other country in the world would ever consider doing something so despicable.  Yet who is the better model for our youth, Mr. Lance Armstrong or Herr Jan Ullrich?  Lance Armstrong is punished for his crimes and deprived of everything, while Jan Ullrich lives in luxurious surroundings fearing nothing, even though both men probably committed the same doping offense at the same time.  It is obviously better to embrace the notion that the ends justify the means; but not to do so for an extended period of time, since the distribution of punishment is arbitrarily applied.

It is also revolting to note that the very people who enforce rules are rooted in bribery and corruption; the very people who demand retribution from doping athletes.  Examine the corruption that occurred during the Salt Lake City Olympic Games from members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC); men who accepted cash bribes, special academic scholarships for their children, and services from local prostitutes.  Graft seems acceptable tokens for the Olympic games, and the city that provides the greatest largess wins the prize.  Revolting conduct that only serves to demean international athletic competition.  But so what?  Cycling has people who are not above accepting cash to provide favors to selected individuals.  Hypocrites who paint our sport with a tawdry brush.  Sadly, the majority of these enforcement people are impossible to eradicate from our sport.  They become entrenched with nothing to fear from outside Independent oversight, no matter how apparent their filth.

Lance Armstrong probably spit upon his Olympic bronze medal before he surrendered it to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).  "One reptile devours another," as Ivan Karamazov stated to his brother Alyosha Karamazov.  The feeblest criminal will be excoriated in disgrace, while those doing the flaying will be extolled as virtuous people who deserve to be emulated by our youth.  Liars!  All of the miscreants should be swept out with a broom!

Court Orders Lance Armstrong to Testify

Lance Armstrong, poor misguided man and ex-doper who foolishly spilled his guts before an indifferent public who could not have cared less about his former doping exploits; has been backed into a corner with a foolishly misguided court order that demands that he openly testify as to whom and when his former confederates knew of his doping offenses during the seven long years that the cheater reigned as king.  The court is also very interested in statements that would implicate the UCI as participants in accepting bribes from the deposed kingpin. Then there are allegations of coverups that occurred over several occasions; allegations denied by Pat McQuaid and Hein Verbruggen as malignant slanders. The Lance Armstrong saga is like an unending revolving door that is annoying like a persistent fly; some insurance company is filing a lawsuit against Lance Armstrong to recover money that was paid out under fraudulent misleading circumstances.

Travis Tygart, the USADA mogul cares very much about the results of this testimony, be assured.  Tygart appeared on some syndicated horse crap sports show talking smack about his private corporation USADA that is funded with public money, as a constitutional entity based upon a decision of U.S. District Court Judge Sam Sparks; who opined that anti-doping arbitration offered due process to the defendant, not that due process was required.  Where in the constitution is an American citizen denied the option to forgo due process?  Where in the constitution does it state that the prosecution has the option to act as judge, jury, and executioner?  Where in the constitution does it state that solicited testimony may be acted upon without the accused being offered an opportunity to rebut this testimony under cross-examination?

But Travis Tygart would argue that these constitutional protections are unnecessary because doping in sport is not a criminal offense, but a civil matter, and that when given a license to compete, the athlete agrees to abide by certain stipulations, including USADA testing and USADA prosecution of alleged doping offenses: that essentially to compete in professional cycling racing the athlete agrees to sign away certain constitutional rights.  The whole process from licensing to final arbitration and sanctions are private matters that are governed by private rules; rules that are agreed to in advance by the athletes.  So when the process is subjected to capricious and arbitrary changes the athlete has nothing to complain about.  Thus the evolution of the "non-analytical positives," suspensions based upon testimonials of ex-teammates who claim to have witnessed the use of prohibited substances "taken or distributed" by the accused person.  These statements by ex-teammates saves the investigatory agencies a tremendous amount of time and money and the subsequent expulsions of the accused may not require due process because the athlete may waive his rights.

Nevertheless, Travis Tygart will be more than enraptured to read any testimony that Lance Armstrong may provide to the court.  Feeling slighted because Lance Armstrong refused to testify under oath as to his doping past, Travis Tygart hopes that finally, he will have the needed testimony to issue even further "nonanalytical positives" against potential wrongdoers that he failed to catch in the first dragnet.  Of course, this testimony will fill in the gaps that were never explained in the first go around, not to mention a bases for an internal personal justification for the "fair" process that serves to protect the "clean" athlete and ensure "fair" competition.  All free of charge, provided by the chief kingpin, drug racketeer, and disreputable villain Lance Armstrong himself.

Icing on the cake, baby!  Lance Armstrong will be compelled to destroy lives and careers while Travis Tygart cheers from the sidelines!  Hooray!  Champagne!  A toast to the death of villains!  Why consider whether these people were the victims of intimidation when they are such convenient victims of the "non-analytical positive," and serve as such succulent fodder for press releases.  Look at these horrific people peddling dope, our funding is justified, the process is working and generates results, and outsiders have no reason to meddle.